Page 17 of Forbidden Professor

She snuggled onto my chest and a part of me wanted to stay in this bed forever. We didn’t need to pay bills, right?

“Something isn’t adding up. First he pulls a project and now he’s turning around and spending all this money on a party. Just seems… odd.”

Paul was a decent boss. After all the years I’d been there, the raises were stellar, the health insurance was good, and getting four weeks vacation a year was unheard of at other companies. It was stupid of me to even fathom that he could be up to no good, but my gut was turning.

“Maybe they had put money back for it. You just never know. Could be to build company morale around the holidays. The most important thing for a business to remember is that the employees make the business successful just as much as anything else. Unhappy employees can be bad for business.”

There weren’t many unhappy employees at Largen Co. except me right now. They had always been a place where college graduates flocked. Largen had a good reputation and with their benefits package, it was no brainer for anyone who was lucky enough to be offered a position there. But maybe I was reading to much into all this.

“Maybe it’s nothing. Forget it. Probably just my brain trying to conjure up something because of, you know, everything.”

I played with her hair while we watched something on television. Pretty sure I wanted to vomit with all the over dramatic and sappy romance going on, but right now I wasn’t leaving Isla’s side. If she wanted to sit in bed all day and watch television, then so be it.

“So, not trying to be too forward, but with Christmas next week… did you have any plans?” she asked.

Ever since my grandma passed, it hadn’t been a big part of my life. She was incredible at putting me in the Christmas spirit, but since her passing, typically I just stayed at home, because work was closed, and watched movies. I didn’t have anyone to spend it with and until right now, figured I would be alone again this year. “Not a single thing.”

She looked up at me. “Well, I am going home to Vermont to see my parents.”

Wait? Was she offering for me to go? We just ran back into each other a couple days ago. Shouldn’t we wait? Was it bad that I wanted to say yes? She was the girl I was waiting around patiently for and if it were up to me, I’d just ask her to move on today. There was no doubt in my mind that she was my future wife.

“You could come with me. I mean… if you want to.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Yeah, I mean if you want me too. Honestly, I’m okay with spending it at my place. Been doing it for years.”

“Okay, then I’m not asking you. You are coming with me. There is no reason for you to spend Christmas alone anymore.”

A smile took over my face. She was going to make me the happiest man alive. Plus, her inviting me to her parents meant she was serious about us.

My life was about to get so much better…

Isla

Things were different this time around. Easton and I were both adults with established careers. There was no time for stupid shit. If we wanted to make this work, then we had to put in the time and effort to do so. This second chance would only prove to be successful if we laid all our cards out on the table.

It might be considered too soon for him to meet my parents to most, but we had a history. I wasn’t bringing home so guy I just started dating. He was the love of my life. Things were only going to get better from here, and I wanted to share Christmas with him.

“Do you have any vacation left?” I asked.

“No, but we are closed for the year after the company Christmas party.”

“When is that?”

“The 23rd.”

Well, crap. I guess we could fly out on Christmas Eve or take the very last flight. Christmas was a great time of year. I hadn’t seen my parents in three years. They liked to travel around the holidays which usually meant I just stayed home. However, I still liked to decorate.

“Do you wanna go to the work party with me? It will make it a lot more fun. Most of the people that work that think I’m gay because I’ve never dated someone as long as I’ve been there.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” I asked. The company hired me as a professional consultant, but I didn’t mention the fact that Easton and I had history. Should it matter though? Even if they see us together, what could they say? I didn’t show him any special treatment.

“To be honest, I don’t care what they think. You are back in my life and no one is going to keep me from enjoying my time with you. Period.”

Easton went back to watching television and I grabbed my phone from my nightstand to book our flight to Vermont. Afterward, I pulled up Paul on Google. Interestingly enough, he wasn’t always at Largen Co. Before, he was the head of a tech company. What made him go from tech to a private firm? So I just kept digging and further down the rabbit hole I went.

On the eighth page of results there was a article about him from a college. Apparently, he was accused of stealing money from the school. It didn’t say if he was ever found guilty, but with his role at Largen Co. I would assume he wasn’t.

I kept this to myself instead of mentioning it to Easton. Not until I had something substantial. So, I felt it best to reach out to one of my old friends that retired from the college, but knew one of the board of directors for Largen.

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